Elected to the trade group's post of chairman-elect is David
C. Smith, CMTSE. Smith is vice president at C.J. Smith Machinery
(Fenton, Mo.). The association's treasurer is Joseph A. Braun,
CMTSE, president of Braun Machinery Co., Inc. (Grand Rapids, Mich.). The
group's new secretary is Van Crotts, CMTSE. Crotts, the president
of Crotts & Saunders Engineering, Inc. (Winston-Salem, N.C.), is the
son of Marcus Crotts, who served as the association's chairman in
1982.

AMTDA also selected members to its board of directors. George
Michel, VP at Moncktons Machine Tools, Inc. (Westminster, Colo.), is
named association senior director. Directors-at-large are Gary Anderegg,
president of Machine Toolworks, Inc. (Tukwilla, Wash.); Cindy Gossett,
CFO at J&H Machine Tools, Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.); Ronald Mager,
president of COO of Machinery Systems, Inc. (Schaumburg, Ill.); and
Rodger Pinney, president and CEO of United Grinding Technologies, Inc.
(Miamisburg, Ohio).

At the meeting, outgoing chairman Anderson was praised by several
members for the leadership she showed during her tenure, especially in
light of the high turnover of paid association staff in the past year
and a half. The head of that staff, association president John Healy,
CAE, described the meeting as record-setting and said that it was
declared by attendees and the "best ever." Healy succeeded
Ralph Nappi in the post in November 2005.

AMTDA's next annual meeting is scheduled for April 6-9, 2008,
on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

The distributors' organization also recently recognized 21 new
Certified Machine Tool Sales Engineers. Of the group, a dozen are
affiliated with Hardinge, Inc. The CMTSE program acknowledges
individuals who have achieved a demonstrated level of competency in
machine-tool sales. More than 515 builder and distributor organizations
in the U.S. and Canada participate.

Amer Machine Tool Distributors' Assn., Rockville, Md
301-738-1200.

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